Coaching staffs named

Published on March 20, 2007 under Florida State League (FSL1)
Brevard County Manatees News Release


Here are the coaching staffs of the 12 Florida State League teams in 2007 (subject to some last minute changes as happens every year). It doesn't take a long look to see a lot of former Brevard County connections on that list, like former Manatees Manager and all around nice guy Dave Huppert in Clearwater and former Manatees Trainer Ruben Barrera hanging out in St Lucie again with former Brevard County done everything Coach Frank Cacciatore...you have former Milwaukee Brewers LF Ben Oglivie in Vero Beach...you have Jody Davis, Richie Zisk, Rich Bombard and Steve Melendez coming out of Daytona to cause us agony again...I'm not even going to get into Luis Dorante from Jupiter...OK, I will...Luis was the Manager of the 1998 Cape Fear Crocs of which I was a staff member...Luis took the boys on the road out of Spring Training in Jupiter where we shipped our jerseys and sent a bus...before Luis and the guys had even seen Fayetteville, North Cackle-lackey Luis's guys were 8-0 and then ran it up to 15-0 for the fastest start in affiliated Minor or Major League Baseball history and that 15-0 start still stands today. Luis, by the way has a World Series ring from the Florida Marlins last World Series championship that is bigger than my watch and it sits is a Crown Royal bag for his someday grandkids...Washington Nationals catcher Brian Schneider was on that 1998 team, Pitcher Jorge Julio, Outfielder Milton Bradley, Pitcher Scott Strickland...heck, the team was stacked and eventually all were sent up and we barely made the playoffs that year....that team was loaded, but Luis made it click. Kevin Boles in Ft Myers is all about Brevard as was his dad, John. Brad Komminsk Joe Szekely Omar Malave, Luis Sojo...man the list of horses in the coaching ranks in the FSL this season is going to ensure that it will certainly be a well coached year. Look at the Manatees coaches with all their MLB and MiLB playing and coaching experience! Heck, JT has a son managing in the game in Texas at Corpus Christi, he's passed the torch onto his kid! It's going to be lights out in the FSL this year because you can say what you want about developing players, but I know this...you get into the 6th or 7th inning and the competitive juices begin to fly. There are some old rivalries that just won't die. And you're going to see 'em this season. It just doesn't get any better in the coaching ranks for the FSL!

Forget the players rosters, here are the 2007 coaches (subject to available information by FSL teams):

BREVARD COUNTY MANATEES: John Tamargo, Ken Berry, Fred Dabney, Tommy Craig, Jacob Marx

CLEARWATER THRESHERS: Dave Huppert, Steve Schrenk, Brad Komminsk, Chris Mudd

DAYTONA CUBS: Jody Davis, Richie Zisk, Rich Bombard, Steve Melendez, Josh Melvin

DUNEDIN BLUE JAYS: Omar Malave, Paul Elliott, Darold Knowles

FT MYERS MIRACLE: Kevin Boles, Eric Rasmussen, Jim Dwyer, Larry Bennese

JUPITER HAMMERHEADS: Luis Dorante, Reid Cornelius, Josue Espada, Josh Seligman

LAKELAND FLYING TIGERS: Mike Rojas, Larry Herndon, Britt Burns, Dustin Campbell

PALM BEACH CARDINALS: Gaylen Pitts, Derek Lilliquist, Steve Dillard, Allen Thompson

SARASOTA REDS: Joe Ayrault, Tom Brown, Ryan Jackson, Tomas Vera, Zach Gjestvang

ST LUCIE METS: Frank Cacciatore, Luis Natera, Dan Murray, Ruben Barrera, Ken Hetzel

TAMPA YANKEES: Luis Sojo, Greg Pavlik, James Rowson, Mike Wickland

VERO BEACH DEVIL RAYS: Joe Szekely, R.C. Lichtenstein, Ben Oglivie, Joel Smith, Kody Sindelar

South Atlantic League President John Henry Moss today announced that we will be retiring at the end of the year. Mr Moss is probably the most sincere guy in the game of baseball, has been the league President for 50 years and has a lifetime contract, the only person in pro baseball to hold that distinction. Mr Moss is also the former Mayor of Kings Mountain, NC, for a quarter century and ran the South Atlantic League as good as it could have been done. He lost his wife, Elaine, to cancer a few years back; she was his Admin Assistant, Secretary and wife, but she and John Henry were the driving force of the Sally League. Manatees fans, if you ever pass thru Kings Mountain, NC, just west of Charlotte, look him up because everybody in town knows The Mayor, and if there's anybody that's a true ambassador to the game of baseball, it's John Henry Moss! Mr Moss has been instrumental in getting the Sally League their own Hall of Fame built. It's been a pleasure working in a business that a guy with a so much gray hair and a 16-year old's heart made better. When the Manatees staff won the Larry MacPhail Promotional Trophy after the 2005 season, we had to accept the trophy in front of a crowded banquet hall in Dallas. Before I went to the podium to accept the trophy for the Manatees, FSL President Chuck Murphy, a guy who is about as good as it gets when you talk about league Presidents, came up to me and said he wanted me to wear a special lapel pin when we received our award. I expected him to pin a FSL lapel pin on my jacket, but when I looked down he had pinned a SAL pin there and said, "John Henry said he taught you everything you know so it's only right you wear that Sally League pin tonight and remember your roots." I never forgot that moment because John Henry Moss was an instrumental player in all the staffs in the Sally League. It also showed how classy Chuck Murphy is...oh, Chuck and I butt heads occasionally, usually over something Pitching Coach Fred Dabney said or did the night before (I'm kidding), but for you real baseball junkies, the next time you get to Daytona Beach go check out the FSL league offices at Jackie Robinson Ballpark. They're located down the 1st base line next to the tennis courts. The place is an office that is really a small museum. Interrupt Chuck during the day when he's busy, tell him Buck sent you...I'll wait on that phone call! Seriously, Chuck has decades of memories on shelves and on the walls and he'd be proud to talk baseball with any Minor League Baseball fan! Of course there is no cost to tour the league office, Chuck would be honored for fans to stop by!

Fans, don't plan anything for the MLB All-Star Game this July. The Manatees will be hosting a MLB All-Star Game Party at Hooters Merritt Island, complete with big screen TVs, prizes, games and, of course, wings. Just go ahead and go to your calendar and block out that day!

Season Ticket holders, your season tickets will begin going out in tomorrow's mail. All season tickets will be in your hands by the middle of next week with your season ticket holder card and parking pass, that includes those that have purchased season-long luxury suite tickets. Fans wishing to purchase individual game tickets may do so beginning Thursday of this week at the stadium's Box Office which opens at 10:00 am and closes at 6:00 pm, M-F, 10:00 am - 2:00 pm on Saturday and closed on Sundays thru the end of this month. The Box Office hours will change after spring training ends as we'll be open seven days a week leading into our season.

Don't forget that the Manatees will face the Florida Tech Panthers in an exhibition game on Tuesday, April 3rd at 7:00 pm. The game is free and will feature a post-game autograph session on the field immediately following the game.

A lot of things brewing...stay in the game and make sure you tell your family and friends to get signed up for this newsletter because it's your point of all things Manatees, from transactions to promotions to treasure hunts. Have your family and friends go to www.manateesbaseball.com and click on FAN-O-TEES (the orange block) to go to our hard core site and sign up. There is no cost and there is never any secret-squirrel information collected or required...just drop in your email address and that's it...we don't care what you drive, how many bags of garbage you set out to the curb on the 2nd Tuesday in the 4th week of July or how many plies of toilet paper you like, just give us an email address and you'll be rockin'...nah, we don't like giving out our personal information either! Can we get an 'amen' on that from the congregation?

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Florida State League Stories from March 20, 2007


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